BATA BATA, SAAN KA NAKATIRA?
Hello! This is me, Jess. Anyway, let me tell you about what I think of what I feel about street children.
Kahit nasaan ka ata eh marami kang makikitang namamalimos. Let me share some of my experiences.
You know that moment in the jeepney when your mind is floating into space, tapos may biglang pupunas sa paa mo (or sapatos, if you’re wearing one), only to see a poor lil’ kid handing out his empty hands and waiting for something in return. Have you ever had that experience? Binigyan mo ba o you just ignored it?
There are those moments when I’m walking tapos may biglang mamamalimos. ‘Pag hindi ko binigyan, susungitan ako; ‘pag binigyan ko naman, parang magiging magnet ako at lalapitan lahat ng bata sa akin. Sounds familiar, right?
And guess what, this is one of my unforgettable experiences with ‘em – ung tipong may hawak kang extra large na Slurpee tapos may magmamakaawa sayo. I gave the kid on what’s left sa iniinom ko. That’s like a third of the cup. Pinag-agawan nila tapos tumingin sila sa akin and they told me, “Ano ba yan! Wala namang laman!” And then I was like, “Seriously?” This was the time na nadala ako sa pagbibigay sa kanila.
You may be thinking how ‘NOT generous I am’, I thought of that too!
After all these things that I’ve experienced with them, after all the processing that I made with my brain, I came with the realization na hindi naman nila ginusto na maging mahirap o piniling maging mahirap at mamalimos. So, I understand them and pinipili ko lang ung mga binibigyan ko.
Sabi nga ng matatanda, “Kapag pinanganak kang mahirap, hindi mo kasalanan un. Pero kapag namatay kang mahirap, kasalanan mo na un.” But ‘NO MAN IS AN ISLAND!’ How can one be successful without the help of those who have the power, right?
I wish, someday, these kids will dream of the horizon of their future more clearly dahil may tumutulong sa kanilang umangat.
BE A HELPING HAND.
